Forgotten
by Mychand
Summary: Hawke and Dom try to figure out why they simultaneously suffer lapses with their current memories.
1. Chapter 1

**Forgotten**

**Chapter 1**

Stringfellow Hawke awoke on Sunday morning in his cabin. He slowly climbed out of bed and pulled back the curtains in his bedroom loft to allow the sun to stream in and warm the room. He felt foggy. It was as though there was something nagging at him in the back of his brain and he couldn't quite put his finger on it. He went downstairs and stopped at his kitchen. Looking around, he couldn't quite recall the day before or even the last time he was downstairs. An odd, sinking feeling came over him. "What the hell is going on with me?" he thought.

Within minutes he heard the sound of Santini's helicopter as it landed on the dock. "Dom," he said out loud to himself.

Hawke strolled out to the front porch and waited for his friend to make his way to the cabin.

"Good morning," he greeted him.

Dom gave him an uncertain smile. "Morning," he replied. "String, I think we need to talk."

String shot him a strange look. "Yeah," he replied. "I think you're right. How about I make breakfast first though?"

"I brought breakfast," Dom told him as he held out two paper bags and handed them to Hawke."

"Even better," replied Hawke as they headed inside and both sat down at the bar and opened the packages.

"String," Dom began. ""Something strange is going on. Do you remember anything that happened recently?"

Hawke felt his pulse increase. "Some," he replied. "I was kind of afraid you were going to say that Dom. I walked down here this morning and for some reason it didn't' feel right. It's so bizarre."

"Tell me about it," replied Dom. "I had to look at a calendar to make sure what day it was. I mean, I knew the date but yet my memories are kind of fuzzy. It's like bits and pieces were somehow erased."

"I think we need to check out the Lady and then go and talk to Michael," Hawke suggested. I can't remember the last few days. The last thing I recall is doing that stunt last week.

"Good idea," Dom told him. "Funny thing is that's the last thing I remember too. But, I could have sworn there was someone with us and yet I can't recall who that was."

Hawke thought for a moment. "Me either," he replied. "But yea, I thought there was someone else too."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

A few hours later, the two headed to the lair to find that everything seemed in order with Airwolf. They checked her systems and were relieved that it didn't appear she'd been tampered with in any way. Everything was as it should be.

"When was the last time you remember flying her?" asked Dom who seemed to be wracking his brain.

Hawke was quiet for several minutes before responding. "It's sporadic. I don't recall a particular time. I just know I've flown her recently."

"String, I don't like this at all," Dom said.

"Me either," replied Hawke. "Let's go and talk to Michael. We need to let him know what's going on."

"How do we do that when we don't even know what's going on?" asked Dom.

Hawke shrugged. "We start with that."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

When they got to Archangel's office, String was immediately alarmed by the changes he saw there. When he asked about Michael, he was told that he no longer worked for the Firm and had disappeared.

"When did this happen?" asked Hawke. "Where's Marella?"

The lady at the desk would not give him any additional information.

"I'm sorry," she replied. "That information is restricted. I can only tell you that they are no longer available."

Dom shook his head. "I have a really bad feeling about all this," he said.

"Yeah," replied String. "Let's get back to the hangar. Maybe we can find some kind of clue there."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Back at the hangar the two began going through paperwork and trying to retrace their steps.

"Well, we've been pretty busy with stunts recently," said Dom. "I can kind of recall them but some of it seems a little hazy."

Hawke continued searching through the information. "It says on most of these documents that we had three people for each stunt. So, we were right about there being another person. Who the hell is the third person? Do you remember?"

Dom shook his head. "No, I don't," he replied. "Maybe that's where we need to start. It could give us a clue as to what is going on. Someone at the studio would have to know who this third person is, don't you think?"

"Good idea," said Hawke. "We need to start filling in these holes. I don't like that Michael and Marella are gone. Something is up with that. Someone's messing with our minds and I have a feeling that we don't have a lot of time to figure it all out."

The two climbed back into the Santini helicopter and made their way to the studio. They both found themselves deep in thought as they landed and headed to the lot they had been filming on.

"Let's see Hal," Dom suggested. "He's was the easiest to work with and unlike other producers, he likes the stunt people."

"Yeah," agreed Hawke. "I think you're right. If anyone can give us some answers, it would be Hal."

The two asked around and were directed to where Hal was taking a break and having lunch. He smiled when the saw the men approach.

"What brings you two here?" he asked. "You did such a great job with that stunt the other day that we saved quite a bit of money. I have to say, you guys are the best."

Dom smiled. "Remember that the next time you need some stunt work."

"Oh, I will," replied Hal. "So, what can I do for you? You're obviously here for a reason."

Hawke cleared his throat. "Look Hal, I know this is going to sound a bit strange but do you recall who we had working with us on this last stunt?"

Hal shot him an odd look. "Okay, I'll play along," he told him. "That is a strange question though. You had Caitlin O'Shannessy of course. She's one hell of a pilot."

Dom and Hawke stared at each other. "Do you have any photos of her?" they asked.

Hal smiled. "Of course I do," he replied. "I've got some stills of the footage we took. Why?"

"Uh, it's hard to explain," replied Dom who was unsure of what to say. "Can we see them?"

"Sure," said Hal. "Walk with me back to my office and I'll even let you have a copy of them."

"That'd be great," said Hawke who looked at Dom and shrugged as they followed behind Hal.

"Is everything okay with Caitlin?" asked Hal as he pulled several photos from a folder in his desk drawer.

"Sure, sure," replied Dom. "We just need some recent photos of her and she's on vacation, that's all."

"Okay," replied Hal as he handed them the pictures. "Is that all you need?"

"Yeah," replied Hawke. "Thanks. We really appreciate this."

"No problem," said Hal. "I'll be in touch with you guys soon. I may have another job for you."

"You got it," replied Dom as they made their way out of the office and headed back to the helicopter. Once inside, they took the photos out and both of them stared at the woman in the photos.

"Who is she?" asked Dom. "I don't remember her at all."

Hawke shook his head. "I don't know and I don't like it," he replied. "She could be someone trying to get in and steal Airwolf. Hal said she was a pilot. We need to figure out who she is and why we can't remember her."


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks so much for the reviews. I'm not quite sure how long this one is going to be. I'll just keep following where ever the story takes me. :o)_

**Chapter 2**

Back at the hangar, Hawke sat at the desk and stared at Caitlin's picture. He felt himself drawn to her as he studied her smile and her eyes.

"She's rather pretty isn't she?" asked Dom as he came and sat down beside him.

Hawke sighed. "Yeah," he replied. "I feel like she's buried somewhere in the corners of my mind but I just can't put my finger on it. Dom, we've got to figure out what's going on here."

Dom took the photo and looked at it again. "Someone has apparently gone through a lot of trouble to make us forget her. We just need to figure out why."

"First let's figure out who she is," replied Hawke. "We can't get the Firm to help now but my old friend David can find information on anyone."

"Oh, that's right," said Dom. "He's a private investigator these days isn't he? I always liked him. He's a good guy."

"Right," replied Hawke. "If this girl is any kind of threat to us or she has a seedy past, he'll find out."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Caitlin sighed deeply as she pushed and pulled on the handle of the steel door of box that held her and the Marella prisoner.

"It's no use Caitlin," said Marella. "Whoever put us in here intends for us to stay until we reach their destination."

The two women had been placed in the back of a climate controlled semi trailer along with enough food and water to last several days. After thoroughly exploring their small jail, they found that they were being monitored by several cameras.

Caitlin sat down on the floor and leaned against the side of the trailer. "I just wish I knew what they wanted us for."

"I do too," replied Marella. "I hope Michael's okay. What they did to him before they put us in here….."

"I know," replied Caitlin as she stood back up and walked over to Marella and put her hand on her arm. "We have to think positive."

"You're right," replied Marella.

"How long do you think we've been moving?" asked Caitlin, trying to change the subject. "I wish they hadn't taken my watch."

"I'd say at least three hours," she replied. "I have a feeling we're headed toward the border."

Caitlin frowned. "I was thinking the same thing but I just didn't want to say it."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

That evening, Hawke and Dom met up with String's old friend David at one f the local pubs.

"Great to see you String," said David as he reached out to shake his hand. "It's been way too long."

"It sure has," replied Hawke. "Sorry to say this is a business call though."

"Yeah, I got that from what you said on the phone," replied David. "You know I'll always help out a good friend. What can I do for you?"

Dom pulled out one of the photos that Hal had given them. "We need to find out some information on this girl."

"Wow, pretty lady," David said with a smile. "What's her name?"

"Caitlin O'Shannessy," replied Hawke. "That's pretty much all we know. What we are about to tell you needs to stay between the three of us. It's going to sound a bit crazy."

"No problem," replied David. "What is it?"

"Apparently we've been doing some work with this girl," replied Hawke. "The problem is Dom and I seem to both have some kind of memory lapse. We have no recollection of working with her or even knowing her. All we know so far is that she's a pilot and a good one."

"Wow, that does sound a bit crazy," replied David as he looked at the picture of the three of them. "Okay, I'll do what I can to find out who she is and I won't say a word to anyone."

"Thanks," replied Dom. "We knew we could count on you."

"Give me at least twenty four hours," David advised them. "Let's meet back here tomorrow night at the same time. I should have something for you by then. In the mean time, if you come up with anything that would help me in my search, let me know."

"Will do," replied Dom as the two headed back out of the pub.

On the way back to the hangar, Hawke was deep in thought as Dom drove them back in the jeep.

"You're pretty quiet over there," Dom chided. "What're you thinking?"

"I'm wondering just how close this girl got to us," replied Hawke. "Would we have shared Airwolf with her?"

"Nah," replied Dom. "We'd have never told her about Airwolf or the lair. That would have been too risky being that she's a pilot and all."

"I hope your right," replied Hawke. "I'd feel better if we went back and checked the Lady out again just in case though."

"You got it," replied Dom.


	3. Chapter 3

_Sorry for the delay. Work and a new puppy have kept me quite busy this past week! This all ran together for some strange reason the first time I posted it. I went through and fixed it. Hope I fixed it all correctly. I'll try to post again!_

**Chapter 3**

Caitlin's pulse quickened as the semi slowly came to a stop. Neither woman knew what to expect when the doors finally swung open. They were parked inside a large warehouse with bright lights and crates stacked all around them. Six men stood before them with weapons drawn.

"Wow, how many men does it take to handle two women?" Marella asked sarcastically.

"Oh, we know about you two," claimed one of the men as three others climbed onto the truck with them.

The ladies were ordered to put their hands behind their backs. They were quickly handcuffed and dark pillow cases were thrown over their heads.

"What do you want with us?" asked Caitlin as she was trying to remain calm. "Where are we?"

"You'll see in time," answered another man. "You still have a long way to go on your journey. Where you're going, no one will ever find you."

"Our friends will never stop looking for us," she replied, not willing to give in.

The man laughed. "What friends?" he told her. "As far as everyone you know is concerned, you never existed. And well, everyone else thinks your friend here died trying to save Archangel."

"They don't need to know the details," ordered another man. "Let's go. Our plane is waiting."

The women were shoved aboard a small plane and thrown together into seats in the back.

"Who do you think these people are?" Caitlin asked Marella. Marella sighed.

"I wish I knew," she replied.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Back at the lair, Dom began searching Airwolf's databases for information.

"What can you find out about past flights we've taken?" asked Hawke.

"Plenty," replied Dom. "Good thing no one else can access this data though. I wouldn't want the Firm knowing everything we do and everywhere we've been. Of course, sometimes I worry that they've found a way."

"If that were the case," replied Hawke. "They'd have found the lair by now."

Dom shrugged. "True," he replied. "Give me a few minutes. I'm pulling some reports now."

Dom sent the information to a printer that was set up in the lair and the two climbed out of Airwolf to take a look at the print out.

"So far, nothing seems out of the ordinary," replied Dom. "I recognize all of this."

"Yeah, me too," replied Hawke after skimming through the first six pages.

"Wait," replied Dom. "I don't recognize several of these other entries. This doesn't make sense String. I mean, we had to have flown these coordinates but I sure don't remember doing it."

"Someone has gone through a lot of trouble to keep us from remembering something," replied Hawke. "They had to know we would eventually realize it. I mean, like the Caitlin girl. Someone knew that she worked with us. They couldn't erase our connection to her totally."

"True," replied Dom. "So maybe this is all to delay our finding out something."

"If that's the case, I have a feeling time is running out on whatever is going down," replied Hawke. "They don't know enough about Airwolf to know we can track what we've done in her so I'm thinking it might be someone outside of the Firm. I just wish I knew what happened to Michael and Marella."

"I do too," replied Dom. "We could sure use their help right about now."

"Let's take this back to the hangar and go through it," Hawke suggested. "We meet with David in a few hours. I sure hope he was able to find out something on Caitlin. Maybe there will be some connection to her and these locations."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Back at the hangar, Dom highlighted coordinates that he didn't remember them flying. Hawke followed behind him and little by little they began to piece together the timeframes for their missing memories.

"It looks like these all took place within the last two years," said Hawke."Funny how I can recall flying to some of these places by not others. What is so special about these other places?"

"The initial one appears to be Pope County Texas," Dom advised. "Maybe that's where we need to start our search."

"First let's make our meeting with David," replied Hawke who was now growing rather frustrated. "Hopefully he'll make this a bit easier for us."

"Let's go," replied Dom. The two men jumped into Santini's red, white, and blue jeep and headed back to meet up with David at the pub.

They were pleased to find him waiting for them as soon as they got there.

"Do you have news for us?" asked Hawke as they sat down at a small table in the back of the establishment.

"Well, none that makes any sense," said David.

"What do you mean?" asked Dom.

"Well, Caitlin O'Shannessy did exist," he told them. "She was a deputy who flew patrol in Pope County Texas."

Dom and Hawke gave each other a look of surprise before turning back to David.

"What else?" asked Hawke.

"Well, that's just about it," replied David. "She was killed when the local jail was blown up but what the locals described as a big, powerful, black helicopter."

"That can't be," replied Hawke. "You saw the picture. She was with us recently."

"I'm just telling you what I found out," replied David. "Of course, the crazy part of this is that when I tried to verify it with the people that I was told were her family, they said they'd never heard of her."

Hawke shook his head. "Then maybe the death was cover or maybe that's not her real name," he replied. "Thanks David. I really appreciate your help."

Dom handed David and envelope to David for payment. In return, he handed it back. "Keep it," he told them. "Chalk this one up to old friends. If I ever need a favor, I'll look you up."

Hawke smiled. "Thanks," he replied as he shook his friend's hand before they turned and headed back to the hangar.

On the trip back the two were quiet for some time while trying to digest the information they had received.

Dom finally spoke up."We were in Pope County two years ago String," he told him. "The coordinates we printed showed that. So, we're the ones who must have blown up that jail. The question is why did we do that and if she was killed then, how did she end up flying stunts for us just recently?"

"I guess that's what we need to figure out," replied Hawke.


	4. Chapter 4

_So sorry for the delay. Time and writer's block have kind of taken it's toll on me. I'm not sure why because my stories usually come pretty easy. I know where I am going with this, but getting there is proving to be a little bit of a challenge. Thanks for those who have reviewed and are keeping up with this. :o) Spring Break is coming up so I'll have time to finish this all up soon!_

**Chapter 4**

After going back to the hangar, Hawke and Dom began going through the company files for the previous two years.

"Hmmm," said Dom after reading through various invoices and notes.

"What is it?" asked Hawke.

"All of this paperwork," he replied. "The invoices and the book keeping, I didn't do any of this. It's not my handwriting and it's certainly not yours either."

"Caitlin?" asked Hawke.

"Maybe," replied Dom. "Well, whoever she is, she sure did a good job with all of this. I don't think I've ever been so thorough myself. We really need to find out just who Caitlin is and where she went."

"I think it's time we head to Pope County Texas," Hawke replied. "Maybe we'll have better luck if we go there ourselves. We know from these files and those pictures that she does exist and as of recently, she wasn't dead. Hopefully if we start from where it seems we first encountered her, we'll be able to make sense of all this."

Before Dom could respond, a call came into the hangar. He quickly answered it as String sat by and listened.

"Yeah," replied Dom. "Oh no. We're on our way now."

Dom put the phone back on the receiver and turned to Hawke. "That was one of Archangel's ladies. They found him. He's at the Firm's clinic."

"Is he okay?" asked Hawke.

"He's comatose," replied Dom. "She said she'd fill us in on the rest as soon as we got there."

"Let's go then," replied Hawke as they hurried out of the hangar and jumped into the jeep.

When the two got to the clinic, they were given very little information regarding how and where Michael was found except that a motorist picked him up along a lonely stretch of road near the Texas and Oklahoma border. Hawke was growing furious at the apathetic attitude that seemed to come from everyone they came in contact with at the clinic. It wasn't until they finally got to Michael's room that his anger got the best of him.

"Damn it!" he nearly yelled at Dom.

Michael's condition was shocking to the two men. They could tell that he had been severely beaten. He was on a respirator and several monitors.

"My God," said Dom after seeing the lifeless form lying before him.

"Someone here is going to give us some answers," Hawke assure him. "I'm not leaving until they do."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Caitlin woke with a heavy feeling in her head. She slowly sat up and looked around her. Marella was lying in a cot across from her. The two women were in what appeared to be a small jail cell.

"Marella?" Caitlin called out to her. "Are you okay?"

Marella opened her eyes and slowly sat up. "Yeah, what happened?" she asked.

"I think we were drugged," replied Caitlin. "I don't remember getting off the plane."

"Me either," replied Marella. "I'm not even sure how long we were flying."

Caitlin stood up and walked towards the only window in the room. It had bars on the outside but it was low enough for her to be able to look out.

"God in heaven," she said as she caught a glimpse of their surroundings.

"What is it?" asked Marella as she jumped up and joined Caitlin by the window.

"I think just figured out why we're here," she told her.

The women couldn't believe their eyes. The view from their cell was of a large compound surrounded by high walls. But, it was what they saw within those walls that shocked them.

"There are at least twenty of them," said Marella.

"Hawke wouldn't stand a chance," replied Caitlin. "Not against that many. I have a really bad feeling about this."

"Me too," replied Marella. "But at least now we have some idea of why they wanted us here."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

After speaking to one of the doctors about Michael's condition, Hawke demanded to speak to someone at the Firm about what was going on but no one would budge.

"I feel like we keep hitting a brick wall," said Dom. "Someone knows something. They won't even tell us what they think happened to Marella."

"What do expect," Hawke replied sarcastically. "They only want to talk when they need us. And I'll bet anything that they'll need us sooner rather than later."

"Humph," replied Dom. "You got that right."

"Let's check on Michael again before we leave," Hawke instructed. "Then I say we take the Lady for what I guess will be her second visit to Pope County."

"You got it," replied Dom as they quickly headed back to Michael's room.

When they got back to his room, they were surprised to find that he had been taken off of the respirator. He was still very pale but appeared to be breathing on his own.

"Michael," Hawke whispered to him. "Michael, can you hear me?"

To his surprise, Archangel slowly opened his eyes. Hawke could see that they had a glazed look to them but Michael was struggling to bring his world in focus.

"Hawke…" he replied in a low raspy voice. "Hawke…help…Marella…..Airwolf…..help."

Before Hawke could reply, Michael closed his eyes and was once again unconscious.

The two men looked at each other. "I think we'd better get to the lair quick," replied Dom. "I don't think we should let the Lady out of our sights."

"Let's go," said Hawke.


	5. Chapter 5

_Okay, finally some answers. :o) Thanks again for the reviews. I hope to have some twists and turns in this story and a bit of drama near the end.  
_

**Chapter**** 5**

It had been hours since Marella and Caitlin woke up in the cell and the two women were going stir crazy. They both began pacing back and forth and continued to check outside the window of their cell.

"I wish I knew who brought us here and exactly why," complained Caitlin. "I mean, I know it has to have something to do with that fleet out there, but why us?"

"My knowledge of systems and your flight skills is my guess," replied Marella. "Whoever it is, they are pretty well connected financially and otherwise. That's a lot of money sitting out there."

Before Caitlin could reply, the door flew open and three men with high powered weapons entered and grabbed the two women, forcing them outside of the cell.

Both women were quiet as they were lead to what appeared to be the residence of whoever was holding them prisoner.

They were taken into a large office just inside the main entrance and told to sit down in front of a huge marble desk. Within a few minutes, their capturer joined them.

Both women shot each other surprising looks as he sat down behind the desk in front of them and smiled.

"Well, well, you shouldn't be so shocked to see me," Horn told them. "I know you are well aware of my rather large fleet outside."

"Are they fully operational?" asked Marella.

"Well, not exactly," he replied. "They aren't quite ready to bring down your Airwolf just yet. But, we're almost there. That's where the two of you come in."

"Why the two of us?" asked Caitlin. "Don't you know Hawke will be coming after us?"

Horn laughed. "I want nothing more than to shoot him out of the sky myself," he assured them. I've dreamt about it. I want to see the look on his face when I send that final blow. Well, that day will come soon enough. Patience is a virtue."

"That will never happen," screamed Caitlin. "You won't be able to stop Hawke."

"Of course I will," he replied. "With the help of the two of you, I'll have a fleet that no one can stop."

"What makes you think we'll help you?" Marella asked sarcastically.

"This," Horn replied as he handed each of the women a large white envelope.

Caitlin opened hers first and nearly gasped at the sight. "If you lay one hand on them there will be hell to pay," she told him as she stared at the pictures of several men holding high powered weapons on her family.

"Don't worry," he replied. "They've been quite helpful and so far have followed all of my directions. If you cooperate as well, your family will go free."

Next he turned his attention to Marella as she opened the envelope that was given to her.

"I planned to hold Archangel to get you to cooperate but as you both saw, he caused me more harm than good," Horn informed them. "So, we had to dispose of him. I don't think he'll be a problem from here on out."

Marella cringed at the thought of the last time she saw Michael. She slowly pulled out the photo she was given. Just as with Caitlin's family, she saw her childhood best friend being held at gunpoint.

"So," Horn continued. "I am aware that it may take some time but if the two of you work with me, all will be well for those you love."

"Caitlin's right," Marella replied. "Hawke will come for us. Even if we help, you may not be ready in time."

Horn laughed again. "Oh, I'm not worried about Hawke," he replied. "Right now he's trying to figure out who in the world Caitlin is and no one seems to know where you went. See, my people made him and Santini forget her. I didn't want him barging in and ruining everything before I was ready. So, he'll only recall who Caitlin is when I'm ready for him to."

Marella shook her head. "If you want Hawke dead, why not just kill him while you had him? Why go through all the trouble of messing with his mind?" she asked.

Horn sighed. "Weren't you listening?" he scolded her as he voice got louder. "I want to blow him out of the sky. I want to show him who the superior one is here. The other way would be too easy. I want him to know it was me when I watch him die while falling out of the sky."

Caitlin took a deep breath and sighed as she continued to stare at the photo she was holding. She could see the terror in her mother's eyes and it pained her greatly.

"I take it you're on board with helping me?" asked Horn.

"Yeah," she replied reluctantly.

"What about you Marella?" he asked.

"What choice do I have?" she replied. "I'll do whatever you need me to do."

Horn smiled. "Good," he replied. "I knew you'd both see it my way. You'll start right away. There's still a lot of work to be done."

The women were immediately escorted out of the office and taken to what would become their work posts. They were separated and weren't allowed to speak to each other until they were returned back to their cell later that evening. After the men shut the door behind them, they noticed that there was a table set up with their evening meal. The two reluctantly sat down.

"Can we trust eating this?" asked Caitlin.

"I believe so," replied Marella. "He needs us and he knows he already has us where wants us."

"I'm so worried about my family," Caitlin replied. "And Hawke…"

"Hawke can take care of himself," assured Marella. "You know that. But the fact that no one is looking for us really does give Horn the advantage. From what I saw today, he really isn't far from a fully functioning fleet of Airwolfs."

Caitlin frowned. "That's what I was afraid of," she replied.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

As Horn was having his dinner, two of his top advisors came to see him.

"Sorry to bother you," one of the men said. "But we may have a problem."

"What is it?" asked Horn. "Is progress slowing on our aircraft?"

"Stringfellow Hawke," replied the other man. "He's continuing his quest to find out more about this Caitlin. I thought the news we fed his friend would have been enough to deter him but it hasn't kept him from wanting more information. We were listening in on the bug we planted in the hangar. I believe they are planning to go to Pope County themselves."

Horn shook his head. "It's okay, I anticipated that. Put plan two into action. It will through him off a bit and should deter him from searching any further in Texas."

Hawke and Dom made it to the lair without incident. Everything was as they left it. Nothing had been disturbed.

"Maybe we're overreacting String," said Dom. "That girl may know nothing about Airwolf."

Hawke sighed. "Yeah," he replied. "You're probably right. We would have really had to of trusted her to share the location of the lair."

"Right," replied Dom. "Pope County then?"

Hawke shot him a wry smile. "Yeah, Pope County. Let's go."

Hawke immediately had Airwolf out of the lair and they headed to Texas to try and find out more information on Caitlin.

"Dom, do you have the coordinates of that jail that David told us about?" asked Hawke as they approached the county.

"Yeah, I'm entering them in now," he replied. "It isn't far."

As they approached the location, the two men spotted the blown out jail right away.

"Yeah, that sure does look like your handy work," said Dom as he looked down at the remains of the jail.

"So why don't I remember it?" asked Hawke. "Let's land and take a better look."

"Alright," replied Dom. "It is all clear there except for one car coming down the highway."

Hawke turned Airwolf slightly and checked out the car that was approaching. "Wait, that looks like David's car," he replied as he slowly landed Airwolf in the jail parking lot.

Within minutes, they jumped out of Airwolf and met up with David at his vehicle.

"What the hell are you doing here?" asked Hawke.

David smiled. "I just couldn't let you down," he replied. "Actually, I left several of my business cards here the last time in case anyone remembered anything important. I got a call from a guy who had a picture of her. He confirmed she died at this jail. I decided to ride by here myself before heading back to California."

"I appreciate your dedication," Hawke replied with a smile. "You're a good friend."

David handed them an envelope. "Well, here's the picture he gave me. She sure was pretty."

Hawke took the picture out of the envelope and looked at it. "This isn't even the same girl," he told them. "This girl has long blonde hair. The one from the stunt we did had reddish hair."

"Then she was an imposter," replied Dom. "Probably trying to get close to us to get to Airwolf."

"Well, obviously she failed her mission," said Hawke. "That's why she's gone. I just wish I could let it go at that. Something tells me there is far more going on here."

"I get that feeling too," said Dom. "But it looks like we've reached a dead end."

"Only until Archangel recovers," said Hawke. "He's the only one who can really help us now."

"Thanks so much for all of your help David," Dom told him.

David smiled. "Anytime, guys," he replied as he jumped into his car. "You know that."

Hawke and Dom climbed back into Airwolf and sat for a moment. "Something doesn't feel right about this," said Hawke as he continued to look at the picture he was holding. "I know this girl from somewhere."

"You met her here didn't you?" asked Dom. "I mean, I know our memories are a bit vague right now but that has to be it."

"No, I remember her from somewhere else, another mission," said Hawke. "It's fuzzy but it will eventually come to me."

"Kind of perfect timing for David to be out here, don't you think?" asked Dom.

"Yeah," replied Hawke. "Too perfect. Something tells me that we need to stay here and search for some information on our own."

"I agree," replied Dom. "Let's go check out what's left of that jail."

The two men climbed back out of Airwolf and began exploring the remains of the jail. Hawke walked to the area where the holding cells were and stopped and stared.

"I've been inside here," he said softly. "I was with someone. I just can't put my finger on it yet. But, I was definitely with someone."

"Her?" asked Dom. "The lady in the picture David gave us?"

Hawke shook his head. "I don't know," he replied. "I can't tell you one way or another. It could have been. I'm just not sure. It doesn't feel right yet I just can't really say."

"Well, what do you want to do next?" asked Dom.

Hawke thought for a moment. "Do you have the address of Caitlin's family in that original information David gave us?" he asked.

"Yeah, I have it right here," replied Dom. "But what good will going there do us? They told David they had never heard of her."

"Yeah, that's what they said," replied Hawke. "But let's see if we can get another story. We can also show them this newest picture. Someone's going to talk."

The two climbed into Airwolf and were about to head towards Caitlin's family's home when a thought crossed Hawke's mind.

"Michael," replied Hawke. "Dom, I think going to check out that family is going to have to wait. Something tells me that Michael's in danger."

"Alright," replied Dom. "Let's get back to California then. Turbos?"

"Turbos," replied Hawke.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Hawke and Dom rushed to the Firm's clinic. They jumped out of Airwolf and ran towards Michael's room as quickly as they could. When they got inside, they found David standing over him and attempting to smother him with a pillow.

Hawke grabbed him from behind and pulled him off of Michael while Dom held a gun on him.

"Hold it right there," said Dom as David was about to take a swing at Hawke.

Hawke glared at him. "What the hell are you doing?" he asked. "I thought you were a friend."

David shook his head. "I am," he replied. "Believe me, I didn't want to do this but they're holding my family, my little daughter. I had no choice. I'm so sorry."

"Who's holding them?" Hawke demanded to know.

"John Bradford Horn," he replied.

"Horn?" asked Hawke. "Horn, yeah I think I remember him now. It's still fuzzy but….."

"He kidnapped you," replied Dom. "He wanted an Airwolf mission."

"You came and saved me," replied Hawke.

"I don't know," said Dom. "I really don't remember much more than that."

"This guy is really dangerous," said David. "I didn't know what to do. He was afraid you'd go to Archangel for help. He knew the rest of the Firm would pretty much stonewall you without him."

"How did you manage to get in here?" asked Hawke.

"He has someone on the inside of the Firm," replied David. "He's an orderly here. If he finds out I didn't succeed, they'll kill my wife and daughter."

"Then we'll stage it to look like you followed through on our job," Hawke assured him. "We won't let him hurt them."

"You can't promise that," replied David. "But I guess I have no choice but to go along now."

"I have a plan," Hawke replied. "Just meet me at our old stomping ground tomorrow night. But, before that, we need to make them believe that you killed Michael."

A few minutes later, Hawke screamed out for the doctor as David tore out of Michael's room. A doctor, along with an orderly came running in to find Hawke and Dom thrown to the floor and Michael's monitors going off.

"Get Dr. Sumner," the first doctor ordered.

The orderly ran out of the room and Hawke quickly brought him up to speed. Before the orderly returned with the other doctor, their plan was in place.

"I'm afraid he's gone," said the first doctor. "There's nothing more we can do to help him."

The orderly stared at Michael and when he seemed sure that he was dead, he left the room.

"We need to get him to a safe place," the doctor ordered after the man was gone. That orderly is an imposter.

Dr. Sumner shook his head showing that he understood. The two men with the help of Hawke and Dom put Michael on a gurney. They went to the left side of the room and with a push of a button, revealed a secret door.

"Well what do you know," said Dom. "You Firm people think of everything."

"You never know when a patient will need to disappear," said the doctor. "He'll be safe here. Only the two of us will know where's he's at. We'll have to make all the others believe he's dead until we know if anyone else in involved."

"We'll be back as soon as we can," said Hawke.

"It might be best that you stay away," said the doctor. "You don't want to further jeopardize Archangel's safety."

"You're right," replied Hawke. "We'll find a way to be in touch."

Dom and Michael left quickly and headed back to Airwolf. They climbed in and sat for a moment, just catching their breath and taking in all they had just found out and witnessed.

"Well, now we know who is behind all of this," said Dom. "What do we do next?"

"Find out what he's up to," replied Hawke. "I just remembered he had a daughter. My guess is that one of these two women in the photos is her."

"You think this Caitlin girl is really his daughter?" asked Dom.

"Possibly," replied Hawke.

"Wouldn't we have remembered her?" asked Dom. "Why would we let her work with us?"

"I don't know," replied Hawke. "He seems to be good at messing with people's minds. Who knows what he's had us believing. All I know is that he must be afraid we'll find him out. He's got to be up to something. Why else would he go through so much trouble?"

"You got that right," replied Dom. "String, I have a feeling that Texas is our answer."

Hawke turned and stared at his friend. "Good, because I've got that same feeling," he replied. "Let's go. Whatever is going on in Texas, we're about to find out."

As they headed towards the Lone Star State, a thought crossed Dom's mind. "String, I was thinking," he said. "If the real Caitlin was really killed in Texas, why would they want us to know that? If Horn planted his daughter with us and she was posing as the Caitlin that died, why let David in on that information?"

"That's a good question," replied Hawke.

"Yeah, well I wish we could get more answers," replied Dom. "I hate that my memory is like Swiss cheese. There are just way too many holes. The answer is there, I just can't bring it to the surface of my brain."

Hawke sighed. "I know," he replied. "But Horn didn't win last time and I'll be damned if I let him beat me this time. He's going down. Sooner or later our memories will come back to us. Don't worry Dom, we'll figure it out."


	8. Chapter 8

_Last chapter until later. I'll try to put up another one late tonight. Thanks again for the reviews! I was stuck for awhile but I finally found my way through. :o)_

**Chapter 8**

The next day Marella and Caitlin followed orders and helped with Horn's new Airwolf fleet. Caitlin was asked to help create a simulator to train his pilots on how to fly the machines. Marella was ordered to test the systems that were in place and to help add any addition systems that would be helpful. She reluctantly did as asked but managed to hold back some, knowing that Horn couldn't possibly know all that Airwolf was capable of.

The women were given a long break for lunch and placed back together in their cell. They sat and ate lunch while discussing the latest events.

"I just wish this were all over," Caitlin said sadly. "I keep thinking about my family and what they must be going through. They have no idea about Airwolf or the things I've done with Hawke and Dom. They must be terrified."

"You have to put it out of your mind," Marella told her. "You are doing your part. That's all you can do."

"How close is he to succeeding?" asked Caitlin. "He's had me in one of the Airwolf's. He wants me to help build a simulator to train them. I don't know how that will help. Until you actually get inside and really fly her, there's no way to really know how it feels. She's a powerful machine."

Marella smiled slightly. "Well, I guess you could say I do have a little good news," she told her. "Only two of those machines out there are even close to being able to be flown. The others are just plain helicopters…..shells of an Airwolf machine."

Caitlin stared at her as a thought crossed her mind. "He only wants two for now," she told her. "It makes sense. One of them is for me to fly as his back up and one for him. He plans to take Hawke down sooner than later."

"Yeah, I agree," replied Marella. "Only I have a sick feeling about something else."

"What?" asked Caitlin, afraid of asking. "If Hawke doesn't know you, he may try and take you down. Horn said he would let Hawke remember when he wanted to."

"He wants Hawke to suffer before he kills him," replied Caitlin. "If he shoots me down and then remembers…oh my God."

"Yeah," replied Marella. "We need a plan of our own."

"Of course," replied Caitlin. "I'm a good pilot Marella but there's no way I can beat out Hawke. We don't even know how powerful Horn's version of Airwolf really is and there's no way I could bring myself to shoot at Hawke either."

Marella shot her a compassionate look. "I know," she said softly. "Hopefully it will never come to that."

"But what if it does?" asked Caitlin.

"I wish I could say," replied Marella. "I wish I had an answer."

"First we need to pay close attention and figure out which machine Horn plans to fly for himself," she continued. "My guess is that will be the most powerful machine. I doubt he'll give you access to a fully functioning craft."

"You're right," replied Caitlin. "Even though he's holding my family, I doubt he'll trust me with something that could take him down."

"So, we find a way to disable the one he plans to fly," said Marella. "I think I can put a trigger word in the system without them knowing. It will take some quick doing on my part but I'm sure I can pull it off."

"I hope so," replied Caitlin. "I know Hawke can beat him, but why not stack the odds in our favor?"

Later that day, Hawke and Dom secretly met with David at an old shack that the two use to hang out with St. John and their friends.

"It's been a long time since I came out here," said David when he saw the two men. "It was a great idea to meet here. No one but those who hung out here knows about it."

"Have they contacted you since everything went down?" asked Hawke, getting to the point.

"Yeah, they assured me when this was all over, they'd release my family," he replied.

"When all what is over?" asked Dom.

"All I know is that he has some sort of compound out in Pope County," replied David. "There's a lot of undeveloped land out there and he's working on something big."

"Do you know exactly where this place is at?" asked Hawke.

David hesitated and then answered. "Yeah, but if you go right away, they'll know I told you," he replied. "The plan is for me to go to you in three days and turn myself in to you and ask for help for my family. Then I'm supposed to lead you there."

"Why three days?" asked Hawke.

"I don't know," replied David. "That's all they said. They did believe that I killed Archangel though. They let me talk to my family as a reward. I'm taking a big risk just being here but after you helped me…"

"I promise I'll do everything I can to help you get your family back," Hawke assured him. "We'll wait the three days but I'll need the location ahead of time. We need to find out what we're up against."

"Okay," replied David. "Please be careful and whatever you do, don't talk about it at the hangar. I overheard that they have it bugged."

Dom and Hawke shot each other a surprised look.

"Damn it," said Hawke. "We'll need to take care of that."

"You get going," Dom told David. "We'll be in touch."

"Thanks," replied David. "Thanks for everything. I'm sorry that I couldn't have been up front with you in the beginning. I was just scared."

Hawke sighed. "I understand," he replied. "I don't blame you."


	9. Chapter 9

_Okay, one more chapter to go after this. Hope everyone enjoys this chapter. It's more action than I usually write.  
_

**Chapter 9**

The two friends made it to Texas in record time after their meeting with David. They were able to survey and scan the area without being detected by anyone on the ground. Afterwards, they found a safe place to land and began looking through the footage they had captured.

It took awhile but Dom finally spotted what they had been looking for. "Uh, String," Dom said in an urgent tone. "You've got to see this. It isn't good."

Dom patched the photo up to Hawke so he could see it from the pilot's seat.

"Damn," said Hawke. "Here we were worried that he was trying to get our Lady and he already had a fleet of his own."

Dom zoomed in and did an analysis on the aircrafts. "Well, the good news is that only two of them appear to have any weaponry. It looks like he's not quite ready for action."

"Yeah, I bet that's why he wants David to wait three days before contacting us," replied Hawke.

"What do we do?" asked Dom.

Hawke sighed. "We can only wait," he replied. "I don't want to risk David's family. If we go in early, he'll surely kill them."

"That's true," replied Dom. "I guess we have no choice. At least we now have some idea what we're up against."

"Yeah, and I don't like it," replied Hawke.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Three days later, Marella and Caitlin got a sense that something had changed with their situation. Marella put in a code that she thought could stop Horn if Hawke couldn't but she wasn't totally sure it would work. They had wondered when the time would finally come that they'd meet up with Hawke.

"I have a feeling that today is the day," Caitlin told her. "Horn said he wanted me up in one of the Airwolf's to test it out but I have a strange feeling that more is going on."

"I think you're right," replied Marella. "They want me for ground support in case anything goes wrong. Cait, you do know how dangerous this is going to be for you don't you?"

Caitlin sighed. "Yeah," she replied softly. "But my family's lives as well as Hawke and Dom's are at stake here. They all mean everything to me. I'll do what I have to do."

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

David showed up on the third day as he promised he would.

"Horn told me that if you showed up by five this afternoon, he'd release my family," David said solemnly. "I'm not sure how much I believe but all I can do is have faith that it'll all work out."

"We'll be there David," Hawke assured him. "We'll do everything in our power to help your family. That's a promise."

David sighed deeply. "Good luck," he told them. "I'll be waiting on your call."

Hawke and Dom said their goodbyes and headed back to Horn's compound. They did another high level scan to find out what they were up against.

"Well, looks like there are still only two crafts with weapons," Dom told him. "I wonder why he wants us here now if that's all he has?"

"He probably figures that's all he'll need," Hawke replied with a smirk. "He's too arrogant. But, I wouldn't put anything past him. He's full of tricks and he always has a back-up plan. We'll need to be really careful."

"Why do I feel like we're heading into an ambush?" asked Dom with a sigh.

"Because we are," replied Hawke. "At least we know it and it's not a surprise."

"True," replied Dom. "But that doesn't make me feel any better or make it any easier."

"No one said it would be easy," replied Hawke. "I just hope after all of this we can clear this Caitlin thing up. I have a feeling she's really his daughter."

"Yeah, I do too," said Dom. "It doesn't make a lot of sense but I can't come to any other conclusion."

As soon as they made it into range of Horn's compound, the men were greeted immediately by Horne's two Airwolf's.

Caitlin held her breath and felt her pulse quicken as the Lady slowly came into view.

"You have no choice but to help me here Caitlin," Horn radioed her. "If you don't help me bring him down, he'll bring you down. Either way, your family dies."

"No," she yelled back. "I've done everything you asked. You can't expect me to do this."

"Not only do I expect it," he replied. "I know you'll follow through with it. I saw the look on your face when you looked at those photos. You'll do as I say."

"Horn," Hawke called to him over the external speaker. "You need to put those two crafts down. You are no match for me. I'll blow you both out of the sky."

Horn laughed. "I don't think so," he told him. "But you can sure try."

Caitlin gathered all her strength and put her family's fate out of her mind. If Hawke succeeded, she knew they'd be okay. "Hawke," she called out to him. "Don't shoot. It's me, Caitlin. He's forcing me to do this."

"I don't know you," Hawke replied back. "Your name isn't really Caitlin. It's Angelica Horn. I won't fall for your tricks."

"It's no trick," she replied back. "Please believe me. He's made you forget me. Please, you have to know it's me."

"I don't," replied Hawke. "Now get out of here or I'll shoot you down with him. It's your choice."

Before she could reply, Horn began shooting at Hawke and Dom.

"You've got to be kidding," replied Hawke who easily outmaneuvered the shots.

"Go after him Caitlin," Horn ordered.

"No," she replied. "I can't do that."

"Then I will," replied Horn and he managed to outrun and slip out of Hawke's line of fire.

"Time for my secret weapon," Horn said with a laugh. "You know this one shot will take him down. I wanted to do it differently but you leave me with no choice."

"No!" Caitlin yelled as she managed to place herself between the two aircraft. When Horn's weapon was fired, she slipped in just in time to take the hit in the tail of her craft.

"Damn you," said Horn as he watched Caitlin struggle to keep her Airwolf in the air. She could barely keep the craft level.

"She took that shot for us String," Dom said in a surprised tone. "My God, she's going down."

Horn continued to laugh over the radio to Hawke. "She was your heartstring," he told Hawke, knowing it was the code word that would trigger his and Dom's memories. "You shot down an innocent girl. She was your friend and you didn't believe her. It's your fault that she's going to die. I was hoping to have you do it but this will work just as well."

The comment made Hawke freeze. He couldn't breath as his memories came flooding back to him. "Caitlin!" he yelled. "No!"

Horn attempted to take advantage of Hawke's delayed reaction and loaded his weapon for a blow that he knew would take the Lady down.

"Not so fast," said Marella who was managing the ground control. She typed in two commands and it was all over. Horn's Airwolf blew itself into a million pieces right before Hawke and Dom's eyes.

"What the hell just happened?" asked Dom.

"I did," replied Marella over the radio.

"Marella?" asked Hawke.

"Yeah," she replied. "It's me."

"You go girl!" yelled Dom. "I'd take you in the trenches with me any day!"

"The feeling's mutual," she replied. "Now get Caitlin and get down here as soon as you can. Horn's men are scrambling to get out of here."

Hawke turned Airwolf around and headed towards Caitlin. He could see that smoke had filled the craft and she was headed down fast.

"Hang on," he told her. "Just set her down."

The men watched as Caitlin's craft took a hard landing. Her Airwolf was still in one piece but they knew in all likelihood that she would probably have suffered some injuries.

"Get the oxygen tank," Hawke yelled to Dom as they quickly got out of Airwolf and headed over to help her. "She's probably taken in a lot of smoke."

Hawke opened the pilot's side door and gently pulled her out, laying her down on the ground several feet away for safety. He put the oxygen mask on her and held her in his arms.

"Caitlin," he said softly as the guilt began to set in on him. "Hang on baby."


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Three Weeks Later**

Hawke sat on the porch of his cabin waiting for his friends to arrive. Dinner was in the oven, the wine was chilling and he felt more relaxed than he had in a very long time.

Michael and Marella were the first to arrive. He couldn't help but smile as he saw them come up the walkway. He owed Marella his life and it never ceased to amaze him just how ingenious she was. Thanks to her, he really felt that Horn was gone this time for good.

"Looking good Michael," claimed Hawke as he watched him climb the steps of the front porch.

Michael smiled. "Thanks," he said. "I owe that to some fast thinking friends. Speaking of friends, where are Dom and Caitlin? I thought they'd be here by now."

"Caitlin's flight from Texas was delayed," replied Hawke. "Dom's picking her up from the airport now. She ended up staying a week longer than planned. She wanted to spend more time with her family. They'd all been through a lot."

"That's understandable," replied Marella. "That's one brave daughter they have."

Hawke smiled. "I know," he replied. "I'm just relieved her injuries were minor and all she suffered was a bit of smoke inhalation. She gave us quite a scare."

As they were talking, Hawke looked up to see Santini's helicopter approaching. He landed on the dock and Dom and Caitlin jumped out and headed towards them. Hawke met them half way and quickly pulled Caitlin into a tight hug.

"I've missed you," he told her once they parted.

Caitlin shot him a big smile. "I missed you too," she replied. "But believe it or not, the visit with my family was actually fun. Mom and I got along for the first time in years."

"That's great," replied Hawke. "But I'm still happy to have you back here with us."

"I wouldn't want it any other way," she replied back as she moved in for another hug.

"Well, are we going to stand here all day or are we going to go and have dinner?" Dom asked sarcastically. "I'm starving!"

Caitlin and Hawke laughed as they all turned and headed back up to the cabin to meet up with Michael and Marella.

The group went inside for dinner. They talked, laughed and just enjoyed each other's company. Michael and Marella were the first to leave as Dom and Caitlin had decided to stay over for the night.

"I guess I'll get home and unpack tomorrow night," said Caitlin as she watched Michael's helicopter take off and disappear in the night sky.

"I'm glad you're staying," Hawke told her. "I was hoping to get a chance to talk, just the two of us. Want to take a walk?"

Caitlin shrugged slightly. "Sure, why not," she replied as she followed him down the cabin steps.

Hawke took her hand and held onto to it as they walked towards the lake.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. "I didn't say anything wrong tonight did I?"'

Hawke smiled at her. He never understood how someone so confident would occasionally second guess the things she said to him.

"No," he replied. "You've done everything right."

Caitlin let out a sigh of relief. "That's good. I was worried because you kinda kept staring at me a lot tonight."

Hawke couldn't help but laugh. "Sorry, I guess I had a lot on my mind."

"Oh?" she asked. "Like what?"

"Caitlin you saved my life out in Texas and you haven't let me talk to you about it," he told her. "Every time I tried to mention it when you were in the hospital, you kept changing the subject. Then you stayed out there and well, I want to talk about it."

"Hawke, it's no big deal," she told him. "Really, it isn't. Plus, it wasn't just for you and Dom. I knew if Marella failed, you were also my family's only hope. Besides, it was all I could think of doing at the moment since you didn't know who I was then."

"I know," he replied. "I wished I had believed you. I'm so sorry for that."

"You couldn't help it," she replied. "Horn sure had a way of messing with your mind. I'm just glad he's gone."

The two stopped walking and sat down on a little bench that Hawke had built near the lake. They watched as the moon's reflection danced across the surface.

"You know Caitlin, when all those memories came flooding back, I realized just how much my life has changed since you became of a part of it," he told her. "I've changed. How I look at things has changed. You're a big part of that."

Caitlin smiled. "Yeah, you've sure changed my life too. I have to say things are a lot more exciting with Stringfellow Hawke around."

Hawke laughed. "Yeah, I know," he replied. "That's why you stuck around all this time. You hate boring. It's got to be exciting."

"Right," giggled Caitlin. "I know I was a bit of a pain about that at first," she replied. "But my life had gotten so boring and here you were offering me all this excitement with Airwolf and all. I just couldn't help myself."

Hawke took her arm and turned her towards him. "Don't change," he told her. "Maybe I never showed it but I've always admired that fire you seem to have. When you're passionate about something, you don't let go. And, you don't give up."

Caitlin shrugged. "That's not always true," she replied. "There are some things that you have no choice but to give up on."

Hawke leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips before pulling her into a tight hug. "Don't give up," he told her. "Just be patient. Some things just take a bit of time."

The two turned and stared at the lake for a few more minutes before finally standing up. "I guess we should get back to Dom," said Caitlin. "That coffee he was making should be ready by now."

"You're right," said Hawke as he took her hand again and led her up the path back to the cabin.

"There you two are," Dom said when he saw them coming up the cabin steps. "I was wondering where you went off to."

"Sorry," replied Hawke. "We just had some things to talk about."

"Is everything alright?" asked Dom.

Caitlin smiled. "I think everything is going to be perfect," she replied. "It's just a matter of time and patience."'

Hawke smiled back at her. "Absolutely," he replied.

"Uh, am I missing something here?" Dom asked with a confused look on his face.

Hawke and Caitlin couldn't help but laugh.

"We'll explain it to you later," replied Caitlin. "Right now I really think I need that coffee."

**The End**


End file.
